Brandon Koehler

Park County Public Health’s new nurse manager didn’t start out his career looking to become a nurse or even work in health care. 

But a few decades later Brandon Koehler has taken over the county’s public health department with an intent to continue on with what the department has been doing to ensure the wellbeing of the community while looking for more outreach opportunities. 

Koehler, a Cody native and 2005 Cody High School grad, went to school in Arizona to become a diesel mechanic. He returned to Cody and worked a variety of automotive and construction jobs. 

Then Koehler, whose grandfather and great grandfather had been doctors, had a change of heart. 

“In 2013 my father survived a widow maker heart attack while water skiing on Lake Powell. If it weren’t for the quick response of the first responders he wouldn’t be here today,” Koehler said. “ After this I wanted to pursue emergency medical like a paramedic, but found nursing to be the right fit for me and my family.”

So, both he and his wife went to nursing school at Northwest College. They both wanted to stay in Cody and wanted to make sure they could support a growing family. 

“It was kind of funny, my wife and I both decided to go to nursing school, so we did it at the same time,” he said. “So I kind of stepped up the ladder. CNA, an LPN, got my RN, kind of worked up the ladder from there. And my wife, she’s super smart. She got her RN right away.”

Koehler worked for Northern Wyoming Surgical Center and then Cody Regional Health’s general surgery at the Cathcart Building — his wife is a Cody RN — before deciding that the more standard hours of public health would be beneficial for his family. 

“You’re usually doing shift work, if you’re working on the hospital floor, and so you’re doing 12 hour shifts, and usually it’s nighttime shifts, which really makes it more difficult to spend the time that you want with your family,” he said. “I have four kids, ranging from 18 to 8, and I want to be able to go to their events and their school stuff, and be able to, you know, do stuff on the weekend, go camping, you know, things like that.”

Koehler also wanted to be able to do his part for not just patients at a clinic, but the community at large. 

“The other thing was being able to give back to the community,” he said. “That’s something that I have a passion for.”

And public health serves a broad population, from immunizations to community outreach to emergency preparedness. 

“There’s so much we do,” he said, adding, “We even test people’s well water.”

During the Covid pandemic public health was at the forefront for vaccine clinics and assisting with the Park County Public Health officer, but Koehler said those days left a bad taste in some people’s mouths, so he’s also aiming to do more community outreach to let people know of all the services they offer. 

“I’m definitely not here to make waves, but I definitely want to have a positive impact,” he said. “Do more outreach with the community, let them know what public health is about. We’re here to help and try to make a difference.”